Lucozade Inspired Podracer

Hi everyone, this is my latest portfolio piece. I wanted to try making another vehicle asset for my portfolio. Since I was young, I have been intrigued by the many 'Pod Racer' designs from Star Wars and wanted to try and make my own in 3D.

When looking around for inspiration, I noticed a 'Lucozade bottle' on my desk and wondered how it could work as part of a 'fuel tank' for the pod. I decided to try some AI generators online (AI Bing Generator) to see what results I could achieve with some basic descriptions. I was impressed with the overall images generated which helped inspire me to create my version in 3D from start to finish. These were some of the results I achieved: -

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGP_-fNegE/OeMMZp62A7DitdnlfzxsSw/edit

Once I finished building the model, I began grouping relevant sections of the model for better UV space and Texel Density during the unwrapping stages. Next, I began texturing the model using Substance Painter. The process involved using projections (logo designs), transparency maps, dirt/grunge maps, and emissive textures to create the illusion of 'heat' coming from the fuel tank thrusters.

From the advice of fellow artist 'Michael Pearson', it was suggested that the model could look more intriguing if there were a mix of material elements. For example, it was suggested that the main body could consist of 'metal elements' and the bottle/fuel tank sections could be 'plastic/vinyl wrap' similar to that of a car vinyl to create the illusion of a 'shiner/glossier finish' in comparison. Michael also suggested using some 'fluid dynamics' in the fuel tanks to create more realism should the project be moved to Unreal Engine.

Once the texturing was done, the model was transferred to Unreal Engine. My experience with Unreal Engine is still ongoing, therefore it was a challenge to obtain the correct lighting, camera angles, environment setup, etc. But with a lot of trial and error, I was able to include a variety of visual effects to the final asset including fluids, smoke, dust, and fire.

Fluid Shader Link - https://evenzhang.gumroad.com/l/KkVHw
Fluid Shader Tutorial Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwGsv-nrQ28
VFX Effects (Epic Games Marketplace) - Realistic Starter VFX Pack Vol2
SketchFab Model Link - https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/lucozade--podracer-173c8b47e7974eb98da9a90af9e94342

Software used: - Maya, Substance Painter, SketchFab, and Unreal Engine 5.